CMSA

New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar
2026-10-07 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-09-30 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-09-23 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-09-16 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-09-09 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | CMSA Room G10, CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
New Technologies in Mathematics Seminar
Speaker: tba

Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar
2026-10-06 16:15 - 18:00, 2026-09-29 16:15 - 18:00, 2026-09-22 16:15 - 18:00, 2026-09-15 16:15 - 18:00 | Science Center 507, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, 02138
Joint Math/CMSA Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar

Colloquium
2026-10-05 16:30 - 17:30, 2026-09-28 16:30 - 17:30, 2026-09-21 16:30 - 17:30, 2026-09-14 16:30 - 17:30 | CMSA Room G10, CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States

Member Seminar
2026-10-02 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-09-25 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-09-18 12:00 - 13:00 | CMSA Room G10, CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States

Geometry and Mathematical Physics Seminar
2026-10-01 16:30 - 17:30 | CMSA Room G10, CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Geometry and Mathematical Physics Seminar
Speaker: Tobias Ekholm, Uppsala

AI for the Working Mathematician
2026-09-30 16:30 - 17:30 | CMSA Room G10, CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
AI for the Working Mathematician
Speaker: Harold Williams, USC
Title: TBA

Workshop on Lagrangian Floer theory and applications
2026-09-28 08:00 - 2026-10-02 17:00 | CMSA 20 Garden Street Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 United States
Workshop on Lagrangian Floer Theory and Applications
Dates: September 28 – October 2, 2026
Location: CMSA G10, 20 Garden St., Cambridge MA 02138
This workshop is part of the Lagrangian Floer Theory and Applications Program
Registration Form
Speakers will include:

Mohammed Abouzaid, Stanford University
Kenneth Blakey, MIT
Ciprian Bonciocat, Stanford
Soham Chanda, USC
Octav Cornea, University of Montréal
Claire Dai, Harvard
Ilaria Di Dedda, University of Edinburgh
Tobias Ekholm, Uppsala University
Sheel Ganatra, USC
Sebastian Haney, Harvard
Andrew Hanlon, University of Oregon
Siu-Cheong Lau, Boston University
Yanki Lekili, Imperial College London
Elise LePage, Columbia
Yin Li, Uppsala University
Georgios Dimitroglou Rizell, Uppsala University
Paul Seidel, MIT
Egor Shelukhin, University of Montréal
Vivek Shende, Berkeley/Syddansk

Organizers: Denis Auroux (Harvard), Jonny Evans (Lancaster), and Chris Woodward (Rutgers)

Schedule outline
Monday 9/28/26

9:00 – 9:30
Breakfast

9:30 – 10:30
Talk 1

10:30 – 11:00
Break

11:00 – 12:00
Talk 2

12:00 – 1:30
Lunch

1:30 – 2:30
Talk 3

2:30 – 3:00
Break

3:00 – 4:00
Talk 4

Tuesday 9/29/26

9:00 – 9:30
Breakfast

9:30 – 10:30
Talk 5

10:30 – 11:00
Break

11:00 – 12:00
Talk 6

12:00 – 1:30
Lunch

1:30 – 2:30
Talk 7

2:30 – 3:00
Break

3:00 – 4:00
Talk 8

Wednesday 9/30/26

9:00 – 9:30
Breakfast

9:30 – 10:30
Talk 9

10:30 – 11:00
Break

11:00 – 12:00
Talk 10

12:00 – 1:30
Lunch

1:30 – 2:30
Talk 11

2:30 – 3:00
Break

3:00 – 4:00
Talk 12

Thursday 10/1/26

9:00 – 9:30
Breakfast

9:30 – 10:30
Talk 13

10:30 – 11:00
Break

11:00 – 12:00
Talk 14

12:00 – 1:30
Lunch

1:30 – 2:30
Talk 15

2:30 – 3:00
Break

3:00 – 4:00
Talk 16

6:30
Dinner

Friday 10/2/26

9:00 – 9:30
Breakfast

9:30 – 10:30
Talk 17

10:30 – 11:00
Break

11:00 – 12:00
Talk 18

12:00 – 1:30
Lunch

1:30 – 2:30
Talk 19

2:30 – 3:00
Break

3:00 – 4:00
Talk 20

Geometry and Mathematical Physics Seminar
2026-09-24 16:30 - 17:30, 2026-09-17 16:30 - 17:30 | CMSA Room G10, CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States

AI for the Working Mathematician
2026-09-23 16:30 - 17:30 | CMSA Room G10, CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
AI for the Working Mathematician
Speaker: Akhil Mathew, University of Chicago

CMSA Q&A Seminar: Hugh Woodin, Harvard
2026-09-23 12:00 - 13:00 | Common Room, CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
CMSA Q&A Seminar
Speaker: Hugh Woodin, Harvard
Title: Truth, proof, and AI

CMSA Special Seminar: Deformations to the Complex Plane, Novel Asymptotic Techniques, and the Large t- Asymptotics of the Riemann Zeta Function
2026-09-22 14:00 - 15:00 | CMSA Room G10, CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
CMSA Special Seminar

Speaker: Thanasis Fokas, University of Cambridge
Title: Deformations to the Complex Plane, Novel Asymptotic Techniques, and the Large t-
Asymptotics of the Riemann Zeta Function
Abstract: The Unified Transform (also known as the Fokas method) is a powerful new method for
solving boundary value problems for linear and for integrable nonlinear PDEs. For linear
PDEs, the relevant transform is based on appropriate deformations of certain integrals from
the real line to the complex plane. After briefly reviewing this transform, it will be shown
that combining this idea with novel asymptotic techniques has recently led to unexpected
and exciting results regarding the large t-asymptotic analysis of the celebrated Riemann zeta
function. The following two results will be discussed. First, a simple formula will be
presented for the difference of the functions defining the error terms in two historic
problems: in Atkinson’s formula and in the formula for the Dirichlet divisor problem; it will
be shown that this difference equals π/ 2 plus a function which is simply related to the
square of the Riemann zeta function. Second, a remarkable integral identity satisfied by the
Riemann zeta function will be presented; this identity is obtained from an earlier identity
derived by the speaker via contour deformation in the complex plane. Making crucial use of
novel asymptotic techniques obtained jointly with Jonatan Lenells, the asymptotic analysis
of this integral equation gives rise to an interesting identity satisfied, for large t, by a sum
generalizing the Dirichlet divisor sum. Also, and more importantly, it gives rise to a specific
integral transform suitable for the large t-asymptotic analysis of the Riemann zeta function.

CMSA/Tsinghua Math-Science Literature Lecture: Robert Gompf: On classifying smoothings of R^4–from the beginning to the present
2026-09-16 09:00 - 10:30 | CMSA Room G10, CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
CMSA/Tsinghua Math-Science Literature Lecture
Date: September 16, 2026
Time: 9:00 – 10:30 am ET
Location: CMSA G10, 20 Garden Street & via Zoom Webinar

Please register to attend
In-person registration

Zoom Webinar registration

Speaker: Robert E. Gompf, University of Texas, Austin
Title: On classifying smoothings of R^4–from the beginning to the present
Abstract: The field of 4-manifold topology was born around 1981 with two independent revolutionary breakthroughs, by Fields medalists Michael Freedman and Simon Donaldson. Freedman showed that topological 4-manifolds obeyed the well-developed theory of higher-dimensional manifolds, while Donaldson used nonlinear analysis (gauge theory) to show that smooth 4-manifolds are quite different from their high-dimensional counterparts. The clash between the two theories makes 4-manifold topology uniquely intricate within manifold theory. One of the most startling consequences is that unlike in other dimensions, Euclidean 4-space R^4 admits exotic smoothings. Equivalently, there are smooth 4-manifolds that are homeomorphic, but not diffeomorphic, to R^4. We will trace the classification theory of these manifolds from their discovery to the most recent development (joint with Aristotelis Panagiotopoulos) that they cannot be classified by any countable family of numerical invariants.

Beginning in Spring 2020, the CMSA began hosting a lecture series on literature in the mathematical sciences, with a focus on significant developments in mathematics that have influenced the discipline, and the lifetime accomplishments of significant scholars.

Ahlfors Lectures: Mohammed Abouzaid
2026-09-16 - 2026-09-17 | Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138
Ahlfors Lectures
Dates: September 16 & 17, 2026
Time: 4:00–5:00 pm
Location: Science Center Hall A
Speaker: Mohammed Abouzaid (Stanford)
Register to attend in person or online at: https://www.math.harvard.edu/event/ahlfors-lecture-series-mohammed-abouzaid/

September 16, 2026
Title: Framed bordism and nearby Lagrangians
Abstract: The problem of understanding Lagrangian embeddings in symplectic manifolds remains a mystery. The simplest class of symplectic manifolds are the cotangent bundles of smooth manifolds, which is the setting for the most prominent open problem in the subject: Arnold’s nearby Lagrangian conjecture which asserts the connectedness of the space of Lagrangians for which the relative class of the symplectic form vanishes. In particular, the conjecture asserts that all such submanifolds are diffeomorphic. In view of recent work with Alvarez-Gavela, Courte, and Kragh, as well as work of Procelli and Smith, I will use the question as a motivation for joint work with Andrew Blumberg on a bordism-theoretic approach to define bordism-valued refinements of Floer homology.

September 17, 2026
Title: Complex bordism and Hamiltonian fibrations
Abstract: As a consequence of his theory of weights, Deligne proved that smooth complex projective varieties, carrying a smooth morphism to the projective line, have rational cohomology groups that are isomorphic to the tensor product of the cohomology of the fibre with that of the base. In joint work with McLean and Smith, we should that the result not only holds for symplectic manifolds, but is in fact a consequence of an analogous result that holds for complex cobordism. The proof identifies bordism of “stably complex derived orbifolds” as the correct framework in which to formulate these results, and I will discuss joint work with Shaoyun Bai to understand these bordism groups.
The Ahlfors Lecture Series is presented by the Harvard University Math Department in memory of Professor Lars Ahlfors.

Lagrangian Floer Theory and Applications Program
2026-09-15 09:00 - 2026-11-21 17:00 | CMSA 20 Garden Street Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 United States
Lagrangian Floer theory and Applications Program
Dates: September 15–November 21, 2026
Location: CMSA G10, 20 Garden St., Cambridge MA 02138
This thematic program will focus on recent developments in Lagrangian Floer theory and applications. These include the development of family Floer theory, degeneration techniques, Floer homotopy theory in the Lagrangian case, Floer theory in prime characteristic, and applications to problems in singularity theory, geometry and dynamics.
A one-week workshop will be held near the start of the program (September 28 – October 2, 2026), with the same title as the thematic program.
Organizers: Denis Auroux (Harvard), Jonny Evans (Lancaster), and Chris Woodward (Rutgers)

To express interest in attending the workshop or program, and to apply for funding if available, please fill out the form.
Funding from the National Science Foundation may be available for US-based graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

image: Water Sky Garden, Vancouver
Date: 31 January 2010, 12:57:46
Source: Studio Echelman
Author: Peter Vanderwarker, Studio Echelman

Member Seminar
2026-09-11 12:00 - 13:00 | CMSA Room G10, CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Member Seminar
Speaker: Elena Kim

Geometry and Mathematical Physics Seminar
2026-09-10 16:30 - 17:30 | CMSA Room G10, CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Geometry and Mathematical Physics Seminar
Speaker: Brian Williams, Boston University

Working with LLMs to do high quality math
2026-09-09 16:30 - 17:30 | CMSA Room G10, CMSA, 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
AI for the Working Mathematician
Speaker: Daniel Litt, University of Toronto
Title: Working with LLMs to do high quality math
Abstract: Much hay has been made of the capabilities of LLMs to do math autonomously, and indeed frontier models have resolved some long-standing, interesting open questions. But our goal is not to produce papers, but rather to do high quality mathematics. I’ll discuss some experiments over the past year in trying to get LLMs to help with producing high quality mathematics, non-autonomously, and speculate a bit about the future.
